A January to remember

The nation will always remember January, 2009 as the month of Barack Obama's inauguration. 233 years after the nation was created and 146 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, a black man has been sworn in to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution of the United States as our 44th President. It was a momentous occasion, highlighted by an excellent speech from our new President, and the sight of two million Americans, braving the freezing temperatures to be part of the moment. The images of the throngs of people, lined all the way up to the Washington Monument and beyond, was stirring. If you've ever walked the Mall, you know that's quite a distance, and it appeared as nothing less than a sea of people.

There's a stirring in this nation today, a feeling that we are embarking on a new course, with a dynamic new leader at the helm. Despite the recession in which we are mired, there is a sense of hope. People feel positive and good today, and speak of a promising future. Optimism prevails, negativity is on hold, and it's an exciting time to be an American.

So, I almost feel shallow and pathetic when I also state that it is an exciting time to be an Arizonan, not just because of Obama and the promise he projects, but because of our professional football team. Yes, something as silly and irreverent as our NFL team, the Cardinals, has all of a sudden given the people of our state pride and joy.

I suppose you really have to live here to understand it. We are the 48th state to have entered the Union, the very last state in the continental U.S., and in many ways we feel like the ugly stepchild. We have no ports, no waterfronts, no beaches, no major rivers other than the Colorado, which is pretty much un-navigable. We deal with ridiculous heat in the summer, and much of our state is made up of barren, open land. We have two major cities, including the fifth largest city in the nation, but when Americans think of great American cities, they name New York, and Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Boston, Denver, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia. No one really thinks of Phoenix or Tucson, unless they have to be there for some reason or other.

Our football team has been a joke ever since they moved here from St. Louis 21 years ago. In that time, they have made the playoffs once, winning one game in Dallas, and then losing. That was ten years ago. Most seasons, they are 2-6 (or worse) by the midway point. It doesn't matter who the players are, or who the coach is, or what sort of success they've had elsewhere, they have come to Phoenix and they have sucked. Very few Arizonans have ever talked about the Cardinals with anything resembling pride.

Suddenly, all that has changed. I've written previously about this season, how the Cardinals won their division over three other teams with losing records, how they were trounced and blown out by Philadelphia, Minnesota, and New England after they had already clinched their playoff spot, and how the national media called them one of the worst playoff teams ever, with virtually no chance of winning a game in the postseason.

It's become obvious now that the team rallied around all that negativity, took it to heart, looked deep within themselves, and played outstanding football. They upset Atlanta in the first round, then played on the road at Carolina and beat the Panthers, dominating them in an absolutely stunning display. They suddenly found themselves hosting the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game this past Sunday. Once again, nobody (except Terry Bradshaw, of all people) gave them a chance.

The Cardinals were tremendous in the first half. They dominated Philadelphia on both sides of the ball, and played mistake-free football. Larry Fitzgerald, the one player the Eagles knew they had to stop, scored three (yes, three) touchdowns. Quarterback Kurt Warner was almost perfect, and Edgerrin James broke off ten yard runs like he did six years ago. The score at halftime was 24-6 Cardinals, and the sports world had to be in shock.

The Eagles, however, were far too good to just lay down and quit. They adjusted at halftime, stopped Warner and Fitzgerald, and began to click on offense. Quarterback Donovan McNabb led them on three touchdown drives, and as the game went into the fourth quarter, the Eagles led 25-24. The Phoenix crowd, which had been delirious for most of the game, was stunned. Uh-oh, here it comes, the same old Cardinal choke. Hey, I thought it, we all thought it, we've had 21 years of it.

But that's not what happened. The Cardinals got the ball with ten minutes left, and Warner led them on a methodical drive down the field. Fitzgerald picked up a key first down, and made another sensational catch to give the Cards a third and one. But the key moments of this drive belonged to Tim Hightower, the young back tabbed to take over for Edgerrin James. It was fourth and one, just over the 50 yard line, when coach Ken Whisenhunt elected to go for it. Warner handed off to Hightower, who ran toward the right sideline, got around an Eagles defender who was blocked perfectly by the tight end and made the first down. After Fitzgerald's second catch of the drive gave the Cards a third and one at the twelve yard line, Hightower was given the ball again, and gained four yards to set up a first and goal. And then three plays later, on third and goal, Warner tossed a screen pass to Hightower, who hesitated, allowing his blockers to do their job, and then banged his way into the end zone with just under three minutes left. Warner was perfect on the two point conversion, and it was delirium in Univeristy of Phoenix Stadium.

The Eagles got the ball back and after making two first downs, McNabb missed his next four passes, and it was all over. The Cardinals had to punt with 15 seconds left, but the Eagles never got past the 20 yard line, and the game was over. The Cardinals had shocked the world, they had won the NFC Championship, and were going to the Super Bowl for the first time ever. It was a surreal moment, and I had tears in my eyes. I'm sure I wasn't the only one in Arizona.

It took two days to get over the shock and allow the reality to sink in. It's all anyone is talking about. Six million Arizonans, most of whom couldn't have given a rat's you-know-what about the Cardinals a month ago, are walking around now with goofy smiles on their faces. We are proud of our team, and we are proud of our state, not to mention proud of ourselves. It defines what sports is about: a colossal underdog bucking the odds, believed in only by themselves and a few loyal fans, shocking the world and playing like champions. Some people are saying they have to win the Super Bowl to put the dot on the exclamation point. Maybe, maybe not. Right now, it feels like they are champions already. It's historic and exciting. It's why I love sports so much, along with so many other millions of fans.

Go Cardinals.